Geneviève Potvin, GIS Specialist and PhD student

Department of Applied Geomatics, University of Sherbrooke

As a part-time GIS Specialist, Geneviève will work on the development of the LakePulse Web Atlas, in collaboration with the Database Specialist. The vast datasets gathered by LakePulse will be presented in a user-friendly manner for a broad range of end users.

Geneviève transitioned to a part-time role as a GIS Specialist for LakePulse after beginning her doctoral studies within the Network in optics and remote sensing in 2018.

She initially worked on geomatics analyses for LakePulse, such as for the LakePulse Survey and the pan-Canadian watershed analysis. For the watershed analyses, over 75,000 lake watersheds were delineated and a human impact index was developed.

PhD research project

Bio-optical algorithms for optical water quality parameters for past, current and future satellite sensors

My PhD project will focus on the inversion of water reflectance to retrieve water quality parameters. I will process the data from the optical packages; study mass-specific IOPs; test and develop bio-optical algorithms for water quality parameters for satellite sensors with different optical characteristics (e.g., Landsat 8 and Sentinel-2); apply the algorithms to atmospherically-corrected satellite images; and develop a health index based on optical water quality time series.

PhD project start and finish dates: 2018 to 2021

Supervisor: Yannick Huot (Université de Sherbrooke)

LakePulse survey sampling 680 lakes across Canada

Summer 2018: Geneviève will be the team leader for the Purple Team sampling lakes in Newfoundland and Labrador and Nova Scotia.

Summer 2017: Geneviève participated in the 2017 field campaign with the Blue Team for 10 weeks as the team leader. She collected the water samples and the zooplankton samples, and did the filtrations in the lab.

Advancing lake science

The NSERC Canadian Lake Pulse Network is a scientific initiative on environmental issues affecting Canadian lakes. It brings together experts in lake science, spatial modelling, analytical chemistry, public health, remote sensing, amongst others. The impacts of land-use changes, climate change and contaminants are assessed while developing new tools for lake stewardship. We are supported by an NSERC Strategic Partnership Grant.

Training future lake experts

Our scientists provide students with interdisciplinary training and inspire them to face freshwater challenges with a collaborative spirit and scientific rigour.

Supporting lake management

Water managers, municipalities, lake associations, governments and non-governmental organizations all need access to lake health and watershed information, especially to support decision-making and guide policies. We coordinate with diverse groups to ensure that our LakePulse.ca Water Portal will provide relevant and accessible information based on results from our projects. The LakePulse.ca Water Portal will provide interactive maps on the health of Canadian lakes and on regional threats.